Cotton-press



(No Model.)

M. SWENSON.

COTTON PRESS. No. 587,618. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

k a E UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

MAGNUS SYVENSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COTTON-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,618, dated August 3, 1897.

Application filed October 16, 1896. Serial No. 609,146. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, MAcNUs SWENSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Cotton-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cotton-presses of the type adapted to wind a bat of cotton into a cylindrical bale, and relates particularly to improvements in presses of this type in which the pressure on the bale is created by means of compressed air confined in a closed chamber, the size of which air-space decreases as the size of the bale i11- creases. V

The object of the present invention is to provide a pressure mechanism of this type such that, starting with a desired initial pressure, the pressure onv the bale will increase rapidly until a desired maximum pressure is reached, which'will be maintained substantially uniform during the remainder of the baling operation. To this end a pressure mechanism embodying my invention consists of the various features, combinations of features, and details of construction hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing a press equipped with my improved pressure mech anism is fully illustrated.

This drawing is a side view of a press equipped with my improved pressure mechanism.

In the drawing I have shown my invention as embodied in the familiar type of press comprising a compression-roll A, mounted in stationary bearings; a compression-roll A, mounted in sliding bearing-blocks a; a balecore A supported in sliding bearing-blocks a between said compression-rolls A A, and a pressure-cylinder A a piston A fitted to which is rigidly connected with the bearingblocks a of the movable compression-roll A.

The essential feature of my invention is the means employed for generating the desired pressure in the pressure-cylinder A", which I will now describe.

A pressure mechanism embodying my invention comprises two closed tanks or chambers B B, the interiors of which communicate with the pressure-cylinder. The connection between said chambers and pressurecylinder may be direct by means of separate pipes or tubes, or, as shown, the tank or chamber B communicating directly with the pressure-cylinder by means of a pipe or tube 1) and the tank or chamber B with the chamber B by means of a pipe or tube 11.

The pipe or tube 1) is provided with a checkvalve 0 which closes automatically Whenever the pressure in the tank or chamber B exceeds the pressure in the cylinder A or in the tank B and which opens automatically whenever the pressure in said tank or chamber B is less than that in said cylinder A or in the tank or chamber 13.. A run-around pipe I) communicates with the pipe I) on both sides of the check-valve b and said runaround pipe is provided with an ordinary valve b, which may be opened and closed at will. Preferably, also, the pipe 1) is provided with a check-valve and a run-around in the same manner as the pipe 1), but this is chiefly for convenience in handling the movable compression-roll A and is not essential to the successful operation of my improved pressure mechanism.

The cylinder A is filled with water or other inelastic fluid, and the tanks or chambers 13 B both preferably contain sufficient water to cover the connectionsthereto of the pipes b b, leaving air-spaces of desired size in both thereof.

At the beginning of the balin g operation the air-space in the tank or chamber B is filled with compressed air under a pressure which will create a desired initial pressure in the cylinder A and the air-space of the tank or chamber B contains air under a compression corresponding to the desired final pressure on the bale. \Vith this construction and under, the described conditions operation of the press in forming a bale by forcing the piston A into the cylinder A will discharge the contents of said cylinderinto the tank or chamber B until the pressure therein is equal to that in the tank or chamber B, when the discharge will be into said chamber B.

The size of the air-space in the tank or chamber B at the beginning of the baling operation is small as compared with the size of the cylinder A a desirable size therefor being from one-fourth to three-eighths of the size of the space displaced by the piston in the formation of a bale.

The size of the air-space in the tank or chamber 13, on the other hand, is large as compared with the space displaced by the piston informing a bale, a desirable size therefor being about fifteen times the size of the displacement in the cylinder A or about twenty times the volume displaced by the piston after the discharge into the tank or chamber 13' beguns.

The operation of a press of the type described and'equipped with my improved pressure mechanism is as follows, the description starting with the press in condition for beginning the formation of a bale: Assume that the diameter of the pressure-cylinder is fourteen inches and that the piston travels twentytwo inches in forming a bale. Also assume that the air-space in the tank or chamber B is one-third the size of the space displaced by the piston in forming a bale and that the initialpressure therein is fifty pounds per square inch, and assume, finally, that the air-space in the tank or chamber B is thirteen times the size of the space displaced by the piston in forming a bale and that the initial pressure therein is two hundred pounds per square inch. As the size of the bale increases the contents of the cylinder A are discharged into the small air-space in the tank or chamber 13, rapidly reducing the size thereof, causing the pressure therein and the consequent pressure on the bale to increase correspondingly until the pressure in the tank or chamber B is equal to the pressure in the larger tank or chamber B. \Vith the proportion of parts assumed this will occur when the piston has traveled about six (6) inches. Thereafter further i11- crease in the size of the bale will discharge the contents of the said-cylinder A into the large tank or chamber B, but said tank being very large as compared with the quantity of water discharged therein the pressure in said tank and the consequent pressure on the bale will remain substantially uniform. lVith the proportion of parts and conditions assumed the final pressure in the cylinder A will be about two hundred and ten pounds per square inch. The bale having been discharged from the press, the check-valves 11 close, relieving the movable roll A from pressure, and the valves Zrin the run-around pipes b afford convenient means for securing desired distribution'of pressure in the cylinder A and the tanks B B; Said tanks are preferably provided with pump connection adapted to supply air and water to said tanks to generate and maintain the desired pressures therein and are also, preferably, provided with gages to indicate the pressures therein.

In case it is desired to increase the pressure in the chamber B without affecting the water-levels in the tanks this can be conventhe volume displaced by the piston in the formation of a bale, and contains air under a compression corresponding to a desired initial pressure on the bale and another of which contains air under a compression greater than said initial pressure, and means to control the passages between the high-pressure chamber and the pressure-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. In a cotton-press of the type described, the combination with a hydraulic-pressure cylinder and a piston fitted thereto, of closed air-chambers connected with said cylinder, 7

one of which is relatively small as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in the formation of a bale,'and contains air under a compression corresponding to a desired initial pressure on the bale and another of which contains air under a compression corresponding to the desired final pressure on the bale, the aggregate volume of said airchambers being relatively large as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in forming a bale and means to control the passages between the high-pressure chamber or chambers and the pressure-cylinder, substantially as described.

3. In a cotton-press of the type described, the combination with a hydraulic-pressure cylinder and a piston fitted thereto, of closed air-chambers connected with said cylinder, one of which is relatively small as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in the formation of a bale, and contains air under a compression corresponding to the desired initial pressure on the bale and the other of which is relatively large, as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in forming a bale and contains air undera compression corresponding to the desired final pressure on the bale and means to open and close the passage between said large air-chamber and the pressure-cylinder, substantially as described.

4. In a cotton-press of the type described, the combination with a hydraulic cylinder and a piston fitted thereto, of closed air-chan 1- bers connected with said cylinder, one of which is relatively small as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in forming a bale and contains air undera compression corresponding to the desired initial pressure on the bale and the other of which is relativelylarge, as compared with the volume displaced by the piston in forming a bale and contains air under a compression corresponding to the desired final pressure on the bale too and a check-valve in the passage between the In testimony that I claim the foregoing-as large air-chamber and the cylinder, which my invention I have hereunto set my hand '10 opens, automatically, whenever the pressure this 26th day of September, 1896.

in the cylinder exceeds the pressure in said T air-chamber and closes, automatically, When- MAGL Us SWENSON' ever the pressure in said chamber exceeds the lVitn esses:

pressure in the cylinder, substantially as de- 13. A. JOHNSTON,

scribed. J. H. GIBSON. 

